ORL Part 3

a/k/a/ Sunset on Radnor Lake

Aside from the fact that I have not had any time in the sewing room this week, I'm not thrilled that yet another Bonnie Hunter mystery includes "diamond in a rectangle" units.  So I'm waiting to see how they will be used before totally diving into Clue 3.

IF I were to make the diamond-in-a-rectangle units, however, I would want to cut them in the most efficient, least wasteful manner.  Gayle at mangofeet described her process to me and it made sense  (that's scary in so many ways!).

Sew, I did a little practice today and I'll share what I discovered.  First, I used my Easy Angle ruler to cut a half-square triangle from a pair of 2" strips of diamond fabric (wrong sides together to get mirror images).

Yes, I know I don't use the ruler as directed, but as long as I know I've cut my strip to the correct size, I don't have to pay attention to any of the numbers.  (I DO follow Bonnie's suggestion to put the line ON the fabric, however.)  I needed to establish a 45-degree angle for the diamond so I cut a usable triangle first, rather than wasting any fabric.  I already have a big stack of triangles from the first cut of the geese in Clue 2 and at some point I'll pair them up with a neutral for another quilt.

After just a few practice units, I discovered that the diamond is 2-5/8" in the long direction so I placed a 3" ruler on the strip, making sure the 45-degree line was aligned with the top of the strip, and the 2-5/8" line was on the angled cut.

I added background triangles, also cut with the Easy Angle ruler, and voila!

Perfect 2" x 5" diamond-in-a-rectangle units!

You're welcome.